


"You're not Merlin."

by slowroad



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Era, Fluff, Idiots in Love, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:34:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25623706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slowroad/pseuds/slowroad
Summary: Merlin has to go to Ealdor for a week. Arthur realises a few things in his absence. Just a bit of sweetness, really.
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 252





	"You're not Merlin."

**Disclaimer: These characters don't belong to me. I've simply borrowed them for a while.**

..

"Here's your breakfast. I'm sorry I can't stay, but I have to leave now if I have to make it to Ealdor by sundown," Merlin said as he put down the breakfast tray. 

Arthur blinked blearily and got out of bed. 

"I've put out your clothes for you and..."

"It's okay, Merlin. I'm perfectly capable of getting dressed on my own. You should leave before it gets too late."

"Okay. But I need to do something first." Merlin sat Arthur down on the bed, put his hands on his shoulders and whispered a spell. Arthur felt Merlin's magic wash over him. It was a familiar feeling by now. It felt like a careess and it made Arthur shiver just a bit. 

"What was that?" 

"That was a protective spell. It'll protect you from spells, enchantments and weapons of every kind. Even if you have to go face down a magical creature, it won't be able to hurt you."

Arthur loved seeing Merlin like this, confident and sure of himself, using his magic the way it was meant to be used. He couldn't use his magic openly yet. He'd have to wait for Arthur to be king before that was possible, but at least within the confines of Arthur's chambers, Merlin was free to be who he was. 

"Thank you. Now go. Don't keep your mother waiting."

Merlin smiled fondly at him. "Take care of yourself, alright," he said and then he left. 

Arthur stared at the door as it closed behind Merlin and he felt strangely bereft.

...

He woke up the next morning and yelled for Merlin a couple of times before he remembered that Merlin wasn't in the room next door to his. He was in Ealdor and he wouldn't be back until the end of the week. Arthur sighed and rubbed his eyes. He needed to get himself a new servant for the duration. He honestly hated the idea.

Arthur was an intensely private person. He tended not to like having servants coming and going out of his rooms. He had always been a bit uncomfortable with the idea of having a manservant and he'd done his best to avoid getting one until his father had foisted Merlin on him that fateful day. 

But much as he'd complained about it at the time, he hadn't felt uncomfortable having Merlin in his space, not even on that first day when Merlin had rummaged through all his clothes and papers and reorganised everything in a way that made sense to him. He found himself smiling at that memory now.

He glanced out of the window and realised that the sun was higher up in the sky than he'd thought. If he didn't get up soon, he would be late for the council meeting. He got up and washed and got dressed, trying to ignore the silence. He'd got used to Merlin's constant chatter, his observations about people and events and his opinions, which were always interesting and well thought through. He missed it now. 

The council meeting was long and boring. Arthur was hungry and irritable by the time it was done. He flagged down a passing servant and asked for food to sent up to his room. A full plate of food arrived in a bit. Arthur took one look at the plate and groaned. Most of the food on it was something that he didn't like to eat.

He made do with it, but he couldn't help thinking that Merlin had been very quick to learn his likes and dislikes and he'd always made sure that Arthur was only served the things he liked to eat. Even if it meant waiting around outside the kitchens. 

Arthur showed up at the training field a couple of hours later, eager to pick up his sword and a go a few rounds against his knights. He'd been feeling restless and unsettled ever since Merlin had left the previous day and he was hoping that a bout of training would settle his nerves. He walked out onto the field, pleased to see all of his knights waiting for him. 

Arthur took up his sword and started the first bout. He bested Gwaine by the end of it and he felt good. He instinctively turned around to look for Merlin and his mood dropped a bit. The win seemed less significant given that Merlin wasn't standing in his usual corner, beaming proudly at him.

He shook off that thought and faced off against Leon and then Lancelot and Bedivere after him. He took a breather after that, waking around and watching, as his men faced off against each other and he felt Merlin's absence yet again. Merlin would usually be at his side when he took a breather, with a glass of water and a wet towel to wipe him down with. 

By the time he went to bed that night, Arthur couldn't avoid the realisation that he'd missed Merlin acutely, he'd missed him all day. He sighed. This was going to be a long week. 

Arthur was woken up the next morning by his temporary new servant. His name was Peter. He was a bit older than Merlin and he was polite and deferential. He didn't just throw open the curtains and start whistling like Merlin tended to do. He stood by the bed and called Arthur's name softly. Arthur blinked blearily up at him and said, "You're not Merlin." And then he remembered and he groaned. 

Peter was still standing by the bed, waiting for Arthur to get up. Arthur realised that he didn't want to get out of bed with his new servant standing right there because he wasn't wearing anything other than his breeches. So he told Peter to go bring him breakfast.

He tried not to dwell on the fact that this had never been an issue for him around Merlin. He got out of bed and walked around bare chested every morning and he'd never once felt uncomfortable. In fact, until Merlin came along, he'd never let a manservant help him dress or undress. It was not something that he was comfortable doing. He'd never even let any one pick out his clothes.

But Merlin had come up to him on his first day, grabbed Arthur's tunic and taken it off him. Then he'd proceeded to dress him in clothes that Merlin had picked out for him, touching him and petting him all the while, with no regard whatsoever for propriety or personal space and Arthur hadn't so much as squawked in protest. If anything, he'd felt comforted by the care and the attention with which Merlin had treated him. 

He got out of bed and washed and dressed before Peter came back with his breakfast. Once his breakfast was laid out, Arthur dismissed his servant again. That day went about as well as the previous day had. Arthur sat down to his dinner that night, hating the silence and feeling lonely. 

He knew that he was fond of Merlin, but he hadn't realised how much he relied on him for companionship and conversation. He'd stopped thinking of Merlin as his servant a long time ago. But now he was starting to realise that Merlin might be a lot more to him than a friend. He'd never in his life missed anyone as much as he was missing Merlin now. 

He went through the next few days without paying much attention to anything. And when Morgana accused him of pining for Merlin, he didn't bother arguing with her. It seemed stupid to argue about something that was so patently and obviously true. What he couldn't understand was why he hadn't realised this before. How had he so completely missed the fact that he was in love with Merlin?

And given everything that he'd realised about Merlin and the way he treated Arthur, it was obvious that his behaviour was not that of a servant or even a friend. It was the behaviour of a lover or a spouse. How had he managed not to see that?

...

Merlin rode into Camelot, feeling glad to be back. He'd had a wonderful time with his mother, but he'd missed Arthur a lot. He'd known that he was going to miss him. After all he and Arthur went through their days and their lives rather firmly attached at the hip.

But he'd been surprised by how constantly he'd thought about Arthur, wondering what he was doing, had he eaten yet, had he managed to convince the council of the importance of fortifying the southern borders? Had he liked the new tunic that he'd ordered for Arthur which the seamstress had hopefully delivered as promised and so on and on all day. 

He walked into Arthur's rooms, eager to see his prince. He opened the door and walked in. Arthur had been standing at the window. He turned to look at Merlin now and his face broke into the biggest smile. Like he was just so glad to see Merlin again. 

Merlin had no idea which of them had moved first or how exactly it happened, but he found himself hugging Arthur and holding him tight. Arthur had his arms around Merlin's waist and he held him in what felt like a possessive grip. 

"I missed you," Merlin whispered. 

"I missed you too."

This was not their normal. They had hugged before, but it was not something they did often and it had never felt like this. Merlin wanted to burrow into Arthur's chest and stay there. Arthur, for his part, was realising how pleasant it was to hold Merlin close to him in this way. 

Merlin pulled back and searched Arthur's face. Arthur wanted to say the words, but they wouldn't come. So he decided that actions would have to do. He cupped Merlin's cheek and he felt his heart rate kick up when Merlin leaned into the touch and looked expectantly at him. Then he leaned forward and kissed Merlin. 

It was soft and tentative at first, but Merlin responded with an eagerness that gave Arthur the confidence to push for more. When and how they ended up on the bed, neither of them could say, but Arthur was draped over Merlin's body, pressing him down into the mattress and kissing him with all the pent up fervour of months and years of wanting. 

He'd wanted Merlin for a long time. He just hadn't realised it. Merlin had known that he wanted Arthur for a long time now, but he'd assumed that Arthur would never love him in that way, so he'd carried on, hiding his unrequited feelings and not expecting anything. So this was a wonderful surprise. 

"I love you," Merlin whispered at some point that night. 

"I love you too," Arthur mumbled, his face tucked into the side of Merlin's neck, as they lay under the covers, skin to skin, with their arms around each other. He snuggled even closer to Merlin and smiled when Merlin kissed the top of his head. He felt happier and more at peace than he ever had before. 


End file.
